Chapter Twenty-One

I woke up late, but who could blame me? After a night in bed with three mates, mating, marking, and everything that went along with that, it was amazing I didn't sleep the clock around. Unlike my dorm room, the suite occupied by these three was pretty deluxe, at least as far as the furnishings and electronics. Of course, beyond the common area and the bathroom, I had only seen the inside of Neo's bedroom. And nothing in there could be picked up at Ikea or wherever the school shopped for the furniture it provided the rest of us with.

Stumbling out into the living room with a sheet wrapped around me, I found Neo sitting with a cup of coffee. Because unlike Dahlia and me, the guys had a kitchenette that held a refrigerator and an espresso machine. "You don't cook in here, do you?" I asked.

"No. Why would we?" He held out his arms and I moved into them. "Want a coffee?"

"Can I have a sip of yours?" Because in order to make me a cup, he'd have to stand up and I had no desire to get off his lap.

"I don't know. Are you going to be the kind of mate who wants to drink from our cups and take a taste of everything we order to eat in a restaurant?" He nibbled on my earlobe, and I shivered.

"It's all very new to me." I eased the cup from his grip and brought it to my lips. "But I think I might be."

"That's good." Ian came in from another room and plopped down next to us. "Sharing is a good thing." He pressed his lips to mine. "Good morning, mate."

"Oh, say that again."

"Good morning?" He stroked my cheek. "Or mate?"

"That one."

"How about if it comes from me?" Artemis appeared from another door. Must be their bedrooms. "Mate."

I sighed. "All of you. Is this real? Because this lonely girl is overwhelmed with what happened between us all last night."

"This is certainly real." Sitting on my other side, Artemis cupped the back of my head and drew me in for a long, slow, drugging kiss. "Mmm. How soon can you move in?"

"I might live here already, but don't we need to get permission or something? And what about Dahlia?"

"Dahlia is a big girl," Neo said, nuzzling the base of my throat. "She'll be fine."

"But about the school? Don't they assign where people sleep?" It was very hard to think with all their attention focused on me. Of course, that was probably my favorite part about the night before. I'd never sought to be the center of attention, always trying to fly under the radar. What a difference when it was my mates.

"Mates are always permitted to live together," Ian said, close to my ear, his breath warm and soft. "Your sisters live with theirs you know."

"Honestly, I didn't know." We were so new as family together I had never been to their rooms. "But I am glad to hear this because I don't want to be anywhere but with the three of you. Do you think we could start skipping classes and be home-schooled here in the suite?"

Neo chuckled. "Do you think we'd learn anything if we did?"

"Oh…" I curled into his lap and wriggled free of my sheet. "I for one think I'd learn a lot if last night offers any indication."

"You're a very naughty girl," he growled.

"I'm trying to be."

Two hours later, we went out to breakfast where I ordered the extra-large stack of pancakes to replenish my energy. Thank heavens it was the weekend because I was not prepared to leave them for class yet. Monday would have to be soon enough. Every moment we spent together gave me added confidence, and I remembered my sisters saying their mates made all the difference with their powers. Could it be the same for me? I pushed my pancakes around, my appetite diminished by the thought that it might not be. Or perhaps was it the opposite? Did I fear that if these men actually did complete the circuit, if being mated to them fixed what I feared was wrong with me, it made me vulnerable.

Setting my fork down, I waited until all three were looking in my direction before speaking. "I need to see if I am no longer broken."

"I beg your pardon, mate?" Neo reached for my hand. "I don't see anything broken about you. Can you clarify what you're saying is in need of repair?"

I pulled away, wanting to speak my piece without being sucked into the warmth and sensuality of their touch. "The wind thing. Maybe broken was the wrong term, but I have never had any control over it, and I think or hope it could be useful, although I don't know how. But my sisters said their powers did not come into their full control until they were mated. And I am hopeful that the same has happened to me, and yet at the same time worried that might be the case. I am not used to needing people." I swiped at a tear rolling down my cheek. "And I already need you all."

I'd never been more terrified.

"Can we maybe go up to the roof and see if I can bring on the winds?"